Fragrances.

13: Dylan Blue - Versace.

Fragrance: Dylan Blue - Versace

Notes: Bergamot, Water, Fig Leaf

Effects: Safety, Vulnerability, Trust

Benito

I had been on tour for almost two months now, stopping in LA every few weeks to see Lilith and to attend events. Currently, I was laying on a blanket at the beach, relaxing a bit before my last concert at home. I had invited Lilith to visit me on Puerto Rico, since she was about to start filming a movie in London. She was laying next to me, reading a book. My brothers had come with us too and they were the ones that had convinced us to go snorkelling later that day. They had rented a boat to bring us to the best spots. It was incredibly hot and I needed to cool off, so I got up from my towel. 

"I'll go for a swim, you want to join?" I asked Lilith. She looked up from her book and nodded. I waited for her to get up, before I started to walk towards the waves. She walked next to me with a small smile on her lips. My gaze was lingering on her. The sun made her green eyes look like emeralds. She was wearing a baseball hat to protect her head from the sun. While I was confidently striding into the ware, I noticed that the very carefully followed me. 

"Are you coming?" I asked her once she stopped, the water just above her hip. 

"I'm good over here." she responded, constantly looking around her through the surface. Since I was already submerged completely, I swam back towards her. She looked a little scared. 

"Are you okay?" I wanted to know, when I stood in front of her. 

"Yeah, I just can't go further than this." she gave back quietly, forcing a small smile onto her face. I furrowed my eyebrows, reaching my hands out to her waist. 

"Why?" I questioned softly. Lilith bit her lip, then she sighed quietly. 

"I have thalassophobia." she answered and looked at the surface. 

"Fear of deep water?" I asked unsure if I remembered that correctly. 

"Yeah... I can go into the ocean as long as there's ground underneath my feet and as long as I can see what's around me." she explained, still not looking up at me. I had the feeling that she was ashamed of that, even embarrassed. 

"Oh, well, we can just sit near the shore then." I suggested. I wanted her to feel comfortable. Finally, she would look up at me. A smile spread across her face, when she nodded. 

In the afternoon, we made our way to the harbour. Bysael and Bernie were already waiting on the boat, when we arrived at the dock. Lilith seemed nervous but she didn't back out. My hand was resting on the small of her back, while we stepped onto the boat. Immediately, Lilith reached for the railing and clung to it with every step she took. 

"We don't have to do this." I told her. She shook her head and continued walking until she reached the ladder that led up to the seating area. 

"It's fine, Benito, as long as I don't have to look into the water." she told me, climbing up. 

For as long as we were driving towards the little island Bysael had suggested, she stayed seated in one of the lounges and looked at her phone. I could tell that she was trying everything in her power to stay calm. Since I was worried, I didn't leave her side, always making sure that she knew I was there and that she wasn't alone. When the boat slowed down, my brothers grabbed their snorkelling gear. Both of them were excited but I stayed next to Lilith. She was contemplating whether she would join us or not. We were supposed to have a picnic on the beach of the island and you could only access it by swimming there. Slowly, she got up from her seat and looked over to the beach. It wasn't far but there was a part of the ocean that was deep and dark between the boat and the reef. My brothers had already jumped into the water, while she hesitatingly made her way down the ladder. I patiently waited, then followed her. 

"I'll go first." I informed her, walking up to the end of the boat. Lilith clung to the railing again, taking tiny steps forward. Unlike my brothers, I didn't jump in, instead I used the ladder to signalise her that I was going to go at her pace. Once she had made her way over to me, she took a deep breath. 

"Just give me a moment." she mumbled and carefully put one of her feet onto the first step of the ladder. I was floating and nodded at her. My brothers were also waiting, a little further away. I had told them that she was scared, so they weren't impatient either. Lilith was very hesitant, she was staring at the surface, frozen in her spot. 

"Hey, look at me, not the water." I told her, swimming over to the ladder. I held onto it's railing with one hand and held the other one out to her. 

"Why does it have to be so far?" she asked, her voice shaking. 

"The island's a reservation. Boats aren't allowed any nearer." I explained calmly. Lilith took a deep breath and grabbed my hand, then she took one step further down the ladder. We repeated this, until there were no more steps left. I gently pulled her towards me, causing her to tense up in the second she couldn't feel anything underneath her anymore. 

"I'm here, Lilith, everything's gonna be okay." I reminded her. She was trying hard to not look down. I slowly turned around and offered her to hold onto my back while swimming. Lilith gladly accepted it. I felt incredibly proud of her. Her courage in that moment was inspiring. I knew that this hadn't been easy for her at all and at the same time it made my heart race. She trusted me. 

The sun was setting, when we returned to the harbour. Lilith was the first one to get off the boat, she pretty much sprinted away from it, causing me to chuckle. Bysael walked next to me as I followed her towards the car at a much slower pace. 

"Hace tiempo que no te veo así." (I haven't seen you like this for a while.) he said as I was watching her slow down a little bit.

"¿Qué?" (What?) I gave back, looking away from her. 

"Te gusta mucho, ¿no?" (I like her a lot, don't you?) he then mumbled, nodding his head in Lilith's direction. A smile spread across my face. 

"Sí, es increíble." (Yeah, she's incredible.) I responded. I wasn't scared of liking her at all, I also didn't fear that she would hurt me. I had known what I had gotten my self into in the second I had gone after her.

"¿Lo sabe?" (Does she know?) he questioned. My brother knew me and he also knew that if I liked someone I wasn't gonna hide. 

"Es inteligente. No creo que tenga que decírselo." (She's smart. I don't think I'd have to tell her.) I told him and shrugged. He chuckled and nodded but stayed quiet. 

When we reached my car, my brothers said goodbye. Lilith got into the passenger's seat, very obviously relaxing now that we were on dry land. As I started the engine, she leaned her head back and let out a tired sigh. 

"Thanks, Benito." she mumbled quietly.

"For what?" I asked, driving off the parking lot. I could feel her eyes on me. 

"For helping me earlier." she said softly. 

"It's nothing." I gave back, concentrating on the street. 

"Your words were calming me down and your fragrance helped too. It made me feel safe. Like I could trust you with my life." she continued. I quickly glanced at her and smiled. She looked genuinely happy with her eyes closing. It made me feel great that she not only trusted me but also didn't take it for granted that I had helped her.